Lamp fixture light globe support



Oct. 22, 1957 P. KAUFMAN 2,810,824

LAMP FIXTURE LIGHT GLOBE SUPPORT 12, A vr. F 7

i INVENTOR ET@ Paul Klufm United States Patent Q LAR@ FXTURE LIGHT GLOBE SUPPORT Paul Kaufman, Deal, N. J. Appiication September 21, 1954, Serial No. 457,577

Claims. (Cl. 240-128) (Granted under Title 35, U. S. Code (1952), sec. 266) The invention described herein, if patented, may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to devices for locking electric light globes to fixtures and its principal object is to provide a locking device which can be released from a distance, for instance by manipulating the locking device with a pole while the operator stands on the 11001'.

Ordinarily, electric lamps installed on ceilings are supported in metal xtures fixed in the ceiling and having screws which are turned by hand to clamp the globe, which is usually of milk glass. Whenthe globe becomes dirty or when the electric lamp burns out, a maintence man must usually climb a stepladder and turn the screws by hand to release the globe. Often the ceilings are high in industrial or public buildings, which requires the use of long stepladders that are quite heavy to carry and are clumsy to handle. The process of moving such a ladder to a location, of mounting it, descending with a globe, again ascending to replace the globe and perhaps the lamp, and repeating the procedure at other locations, is wearisome and time-consuming. The present invention aims to minimize the labor of servicing ceiling and other elevated lights and to reduce the time required for such servicing. These desiderata are accomplished by providing a unique globe-locking device permitting the detachment of a globe from a distance, often while standing on the floor, whereupon the globe may be lowered to be cleaned, etc. by using a handling device as hereafter described.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be understood from the following description of several embodiments of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification.

ln said drawings,

Fig. l is an elevation showing an electric lamp fixture and globe on a ceiling, also a globe-handling pole receiving the globe in a receptacle mounted on its upper end;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of one form of globelocking means embodying my invention, together with a fragment of a globe and fixture, showing in dotted lines another position of the Parts;

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 2; l

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of another form of globelocking means, showing in dotted lines another position of the globe-locking pin and operating parts;

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a sectional View of a third form of globelocking means, showing in dotted lines another position of the globe-locking pin;

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 6, showing in dotted lines another position of the pin.

Referring particularly to the drawings and first to Figs. l and 2, a ceiling fixture 10 is shown on a ceiling 11, and globe 12 is shown clamped to the xture by a lockrice ing device 13 which, it will be understood, is one of three similar devices which engage globe 12 under the annular outturned ange or lip 14 which is formed at the upper end of the globe.

Now referring to Figs. 2 and 3, a fragment of ceiling fixture 10 is shown with a screw-threaded bore 15 in one wall, this being one of three tapped bores provided in nearly all light fixtures of this type. Instead of the usual screw passing through bore 15 and engaging globe '12 with its inner end, I contemplate using a hollow screw 16 threaded through bore 15 and secured to frame 17 of the locking device either by brazing or,s0ldering or, as shown in Fig. 2, by turning a lock nut 18 over hollow screw 16 until the lock nut is tight against frame 17. Thus frame 17, which is U-shaped, is supported by the xture through the hollow screw. The bore 16a in hollow screw 16 provides a sliding surface for a pin or plunger 19 whose inner or projecting end is slightly enlarged as shown at 2li to engage globe 12. Preferably hollow screw 16 is passed through a tapped bore 21 in one arm 22 of frame 17. The other arm 23 of frame 17 has a bore 24 aligned with bore 162L of the hollow screw, and pin 19 is long enough to extend through bore 24 and beyond the outer face of arm 23. A coil spring 25 is mounted on pin 19 and is confined between arm 23 and a washer or shoulder 26 fixed to pin 19. A cam follower 27 is carried on pin 19 adjacent washer 26 and has a rounded face on the side opposite the one that engages washer 26. A cam lever 28, which is a bell crank lever, is pivoted as at 29 on frame 17 to swing in a vertical plane and has one arm 30 engaging the rounded face of cam follower 7 with its inturned cam end 31. Cam lever 2S has a long arm 32 which may be directly engaged by a hooked stick or pole (not shown) or as illustrated it may have a bent end with a bore 33 through which a wire loop or cord 34 may be passed to facilitate rocking the cam lever from below.

A light fixture equipped with the described locking devices may have its globe removed by working from the floor. Referring again to Fig. 1, a pole 35 has a basketlike receptacle 36 secured on its upper end, said receptacle comprising a number of resilient spaced wire arms 37 having inwardly curved ends which are so disposed that they may bend and pass around a globe 12 as illustrated. If pole 35 is held by one hand, or by another operator, and while the receptacle 36 is under the globe, the several locking devices 13 are manipulated by a hooked pole or other implement to release the globe from the fixture, the globe will drop into the basket-like receptacle 36 and may be lowered safely tobe within reach of an operator. After cleaning, the globe may be lifted by pole 35 to a position where its upper ange 14 is within the fixture, and by retracting pins 19 of each locking device, the globe may again be locked upon the fixture. Unless the ixture is very high above the floor, the described operation may be performed by one or two men aided by the proper implements and while standing on the floor. If one man operation is desirable, the pole may be adjustable in length, as illustrated in Fig. l, and its foot may be a rubber tip 38 to hold it against slipping on licor 39 while the operator manipulates the locking devices of the invention.

Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, another form of locking device is s-hown comprising a U-shaped frame or yoke 40 whose arms 'support a pivot pin 41 on which a cam lever 42 may rock. Lever 42 has a disc cam 43 integral therewith whose edge contacts a cam follower 44 which is mounted on one end of locking pin 45. A coil spring 46 is carried on locking pin 45 and is confined between the frame 40 and the cam follower 44 to hold the cani. follower pressed against cam 43. A hollow screw 47 is secured to and passes through frame 40 and locking 3 pin 45' is slidable through said hollow` screw. Y A lock nut 4S is one of several ways of fixing the hollow screw to the frame 40. The electric fixture 10 has the usual threetapped bores to". receivingrthehollow screws 47 of 1 extended. To holdthe cam lever'in the pin-projecting positionywhich is the globe-locking position, cam s3 has a notch 49 on its periphery at a point which is in alignment with the axis of calm lever'42, and the carnfollower 44 has a dog or detent 5? which is received in notch49 when the camlever is' fully swung around as Y illustrated Vin dotted lines. The reaction of coil spring 46 will hold the detent in the notch, but Va sharp pull onthecam lever will move it around to the pin-retracted position 'shown in full lines. Detent 54B is highly desirable to insure vibration-proof locking of the device,

which will make the device much safer to use in buildings subjected to vibration from the operation of machinery or from heavy traffic. The pressure of the coil spring against the cam through the cam follower will make the release or retraction of the locking pin easier than the locijng movement. Cam lever 42 may be `swung by means o f a light pole, preferably with a hook on its upper end. Removal of the globe and its replacement are accomplished in the :manner already described.

Referring to Figs., 6 and 7, a third form of the device is shown including .a rectangular frame S, a locking pin 56 slidable through a hollow screw 57 fixed to frame 55 and screwed into fixture and a coil spring 58 carried on locking pin 56 and abutting the inside of fratrie 55 with one end,-the other end of the coil spring abutting a cam follower S9 fixed to the locking pin S6. Cam follower S9'ha's'aecarn face 60 lying at an angle ofV about '30 .to the axis of the sliding pin, and a guide'pin 61,

` Vbetween vearn 63 and the inner end of ,the Yframe to prevent movement of the cam toward the frame. On the louter end of shaft 65, which projects beyond the frame,

an operating lever 67 is fixed. By pulling on lever 6'."V by means of a light pole etc. cam 63 is rotated, causing the thick part ofthe cam to 'approach the thick lpart of the cam follower, which causes the cam followerl to project the locking pin 56. Thus the sliding locking pin 56 will lock the globe 12, but will release the globe when the lever 67 is swungrn the opposite direction.

It will be clear that while, in the form of Figs. 2 Vand 3, the spring projectsV the locking pin to yieldingly engage the globe, in thesecond'form (Figs. 4 and 5) and in the thirdform (Figs: 6 and 7) the springs retract thelocking pins'and the levers must be operated to project the locking pins into globe-locking positions. In the first two forms, the cam works by `a'longitu'dinal action, while inV the third form the cam works by a transverse rotary action. The operation of the cam in the third form will be Vmade easier if the contacting cam surfaces are portions of spiralsurfaces (not shown). -Other modifica-V tions and changes in the form, construction and'arrangement of parts will occur to thoseskilled in the art.

What I claim is:

' 1; In combinationV with a conventional electric lamp Y fixture ofthe vtype that is fixed to an elevated support globe; a frame carried by said hollow screw; a cam follower fixed to the outer end of v`said locking pin; a leverV swingably mounted onV said frame and projecting a suincient distance beyond the frame to be readily engageable by an operator-controlled implement; a cam fixed to the lever and engaging the'carn follower; and a coil spring mounted on the locking pin between the frame and theV cam follower and acting to hold the cam follower against the cam and also normally retracting the projectable end of the locking pin; swinging the lever in one directionV projectingthe loelcing pin,V to secure the globeY upon the fixture,andswinging the lever Vin the opposite directionk withdrawing the nloclnfng pin from'engagement with the globe. l

2. The invention defined in claim 1, wherein the lever f ismounted on Ya pivot o-n the frame to swing in a plane thatY coincides with the longitudinal axis of the locking pin, the cam being an eccentric disk integral with'the lever and 'located on one end thereof and acting to push the'carn follower against the resistance of the coil spring asY the `ieveris swung from a position in Vwhchrthe locking pinisretractd to the position in which the locking pin is projected. Y Y 1 The invention defined in claim 2, wherein the disk cam has a recessY on its periphery and the cam follower has a detent projecting from the face which is engaged by the cam, the recess and detent being so placed that when the earn' is'invfulljpin-projecting position, the detent isV receivedin'the recess and locks the lever. Y Y Y Y 4`.The,in1vention defined in Vclaim 1, wherein the lever is iixedto a shaft substantially at Vright angles thereto, and i 5. In combinationwith a conventional electric lamp; fixture` of the typeA that is fixed to an elevated support such asv a ceiling and haspa, side wall with a screw threaded,`

borey vfor receiving a 4screw by which a lamp-enclosing globe is supported on the fixture; a hollow screw threaded into said: bore and fixed to said side wall; a globe-locking pin slidable axially through said hollow screw and projectabl'ebeyond the inner surface of said side wail to di-Y Y rectly engage with its inner end the outer wail of a globe;l a

frame carried by said hollow screw; a cam follow-er fixedV to the outer end of said locking pin; a cam mounted on the frame for cooperation with the Ycam follower; and a coil spring mounted on the locking pin between the frame and the cam follower and acting to hold the cam follower,V

against Vthe cam Yand also normally'retracting the projectable end of the locking pin; operating the cam inrone direction projecting Vthe lockingl pin to secure the globev upon the mixture, and operating the cam in the oppositek the ylocking pin. from engagement ONeill Aug. 11, 1903 1,590,394 Rawlings June 29, 1926 1,761,511 Wolarsky Y June 30, 1930V 1 FOREIGN rn'rnrstrs'l y 290,124'y Steinmayer Y June 5,1934 

